


Bo Staff

by Lwoorl



Series: DC Shifters AU [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Angst, Child Neglect, Gen, Transformation, shifters au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 14:52:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16642346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lwoorl/pseuds/Lwoorl
Summary: Tim turns into an object for the first time. And then accidentally gets locked in a closet.Shifters AU: Look at information of the series to know more, but basically all you need to know is that some people can turn into objects and they're called shifters.





	Bo Staff

**Author's Note:**

> And so I prove once again that I'm physically incapable of writing 2 fluffy fics in a row.
> 
> Man, I'm having a blast with this AU, expect more additions for this series in the future.

It happens suddenly, not at all like in the movies. There's no ‘weird feeling’ for days before it happens, he doesn't bend down while holding his stomach, there isn't a rainbow flooding the whole room, it doesn't even hurt.

One moment he's reading a book in his room, then there's a quick flash of light, like someone snapped a picture, he gets a weird sweet taste inside his mouth, and then his vision gets all weird and he can't move.

At first Tim isn't sure what's happening, he can see he's on the floor, but his eyes are all weird, it's as if he could see everything around him like in one of those fish lens pictures, it makes it hard to concentrate on anything concrete and he's starting to get dizzy. He tries to close his eyes but he can't move his eyelids, can't even feel them, all his body is all weird.

It's hard to describe, it would be wrong to say he can't feel his body, because he definitely can feel the floor against him, the temperature of the room, the book he was reading resting on top of him, but he can't feel his hands or feet or even face, he can't move and he can't-

_He can't breathe_

Oh God he can't _breathe_. He tries to get air inside him but he just can't move, he can't even feel his mouth or his chest, much less breath.

Tim remembers a documentary he saw once, it had a section talking about what it feels like drowning, it didn't seem comfortable.

He gets ready for the feeling of his chest burning, for his face getting blue, for his throat to hurt, but… It doesn't happen. He's fine.

It feels wrong, being fine without breathing or even blinking. Not that he wants to drown, but, it's just a little jarring.

Now that he knows he isn't going to die, he tries to make sense of his vision. It's a bit tricky, but if he concentrates he can sort of focus on certain parts of his visual field. The rest of the fish eye image is still there, but less clear.

He looks around, he's in his room, on the floor, just as he thought. There's a book on top of him, the window is open, there's a mirror at the other side of the room.

In the mirror, he sees a stick, like a really long staff, dark brown with some red decorations, sitting on the floor and _oh_

Oh, _he_ is the stick. So he's a shifter. Alright. Alright, it's fine then.

Tim thought he wasn't going to be one, he's a bit too old after all, usually people discover it around the five years old mark. He turned eight a couple months ago, and when he asked his nanny she said he probably wouldn't be one, so, ok, it happened a bit late, but he isn't gonna argue with the fact he's a stick on the floor right now.

Ok. So he's a shifter, he just changed into an object for the first time, that means he just has to figure out how to change to human again. Can't be that hard, one out of every three people does it.

Now that Tim knows what's going on and isn't freaking out about possibly dying, that's… A little bit exciting, actually.

Sure, he might be a long stick instead of something cool like a bazooka, but it's better than, say, a thimble. Tim can't wait to figure out how to control it so he can show it to his parents.

He tries to think of his normal form, like he saw once in a movie, but that doesn't work, then he tried to focus on the feeling of having an stomach, like he read in a book, but it doesn't help either.

He knows the way to do it is different for each person, but it's still frustrating. What did he even do to shift just now? He was just reading his book, without doing anything special.

He knows he's going to figure it out eventually, everyone always does, but it still puts him on edge not knowing what to do.

He tries other stuff he's heard of, like thinking of a song or imagining he's walking. He's on the middle of that when he hears someone opening the door and sees one of the maids entering the room.

She takes the book from the floor and tidies some stuff before looking at Tim. She bends down and takes him before looking around like she's considering something. She then leaves the room with Tim on one hand.

He isn't sure what's happening, maybe she's bringing him to his parents? She's wearing gloves and it's kind of a hot summer day, but surely she's able to tell it's him, _right_?

But she isn't speaking to him, doesn't acknowledge his presence. She should at least talk to him if she knew, right?

Tim quickly tries really hard not to panic and thinks of a couple dozen other stuff that sound like the pseudo spiritual stuff people say triggers the change, he imagines himself dancing and singing and thinks of how he looks in a mirror, but still nothing, although it's hard to say if it's because it doesn't really work or because he isn't concentrating.

Eventually the maid opens a little supply closet and shoves Tim inside.

Ok, that's… Bad.

It's dark and Tim can't see anything around him, but he feels the way other stuff presses against him on all sides and realizes he probably won't have enough space to shift back, even if he figured out how to do it.

Ok. That's definitely a problem. But it's ok, he thinks, trying to calm down. Someone will notice he's missing and start looking for him, his parents will start to worry after not seeing him for a while, and then it won't take long for them to realize the stick that looked so out of place in his room was actually _him_.

He can feel his heart going faster, which is weird, as he shouldn't have one right now, but somehow being unable to breathe or move it's a bit comforting to have at least one familiar thing.

He should… Just keep thinking on ways to change back, so he's ready when people find him. There isn't much else he can do anyway.

So he does, he tries to remember everything he's heard of how it's like to be a shifter, and eventually he calms down. He's right, they will find him eventually, he just needs to stay here for a couple of hours.

Eventually he runs out of ideas, and starts to go over the whole list again, thinking it over, picking which ideas sound more promising.

Then he finishes doing that too.

How long has it been? It's… So unbelievably boring. He needs to do something. He starts to think of his favorite shows, starts to think ways his book could continue from where he left it, starts to sing made up songs inside his head. And so he goes on and on and on inside his mind.

Eventually, he realizes he's able to sleep like this. He isn't sure if he could do it still having the weird fish lens, but in the darkness it's relatively easy to let his mind wander. It isn't exactly comfy, but it's not uncomfortable either. Better than it would be to sleep inside a closet as a human at least.

He repeats that routine a couple of times, making stuff up until he falls asleep, then waking up and doing the same. Each time the closet feels more oppressive, as if the walls and the stuff surrounding him pushed against him, trying to crush him. He can't even move, can't even speak. The only real sounds he hears are the sporadic steps of people walking past him.

He's able to count falling asleep six times before getting out.

Just when Tim starts thinks he's about to lose his mind, the doors open and he's immediately assaulted with a want, a _need_ of getting out. He needs to get out, he needs to get out, he needs to _move._ And before he knows it he's falling outside of the stupid closet, catching himself with his arms before he hits the ground.

The relief is instantaneous. He got out, he really did, he can move. Tim takes a deep breath, and then another, and then he's gasping for air as he shivers on the floor. He isn't even sure what did he do for it to work, but it doesn't matter. His chest is moving and he can open and close his hands and-

“Oh my, young master Timothy what were you doing there?”

He looks up. There's a maid, a different one from before, looking at him while she holds the door. She peaks inside the closet, then looks back at him.

“How did you even fit in here?” She looks surprised, she wasn't expecting him. So they weren't looking for him.

He wants to answer, but he can't, he's still shaking and gasping for air. He feels his eyes burn and he starts crying.

“Oh no.” The maid leaves what she was doing and holds Tim as he cries, pressing him against her chest, and eventually he calms down.

It's kind of a blur after that, he asks the maid where his parents are and goes there. He should… Tell them, right? He doesn't think he could _show_ them, not after he barely got his body back. But he should Tell them.

His mom is in the living room, sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. Tim tries to get her attention first. He tugs at her dress. She barely spares him a glance before turning back to reading.

“Not now sweety.”

Tim tugs again, a little harder.

“Mom, I'm…” He starts, but the words die in his mouth as his mother just waves him off. “Go bother Daddy. Mommy's reading.”

“...Ok.”

He wanders off, towards the dining room. His dad is sitting on the table, writing something on some documents.

“Dad, I... Need to tell you something.”

“Not now, Timmy.”

Tim feels suddenly... Utterly discouraged, but he taps his dad on the leg and tries again “It's… important.”

His dad looks up from whatever he's working on and frowns at him. “I'm sure it can wait.” He says, going back to his documents.

Tim wants to object, just go and say 'Dad, Mom, I'm a shifter, a weird long stick.’ but… But at the end he lets it go. Maybe later. Always later.

As he walks away he notices for the first time the sky's still blue. He really thought, back at the closet, that it had been some hours and it would be dark when he got out. He checks on one of the clocks of the house and discovers it was barely an hour.

He feels his face flush.

He's such an idiot! Making such a fuss for one hour of time out! Of course no one would be looking for him, it was barely an hour. He's angry and ashamed, he really thought it was longer, but somehow it's also a relief, it's an explanation of why they didn't look for him, why they didn't find him sooner. It was just an hour.

He walks towards his room, ready to continue the book where he left it, but then something catches his eyes.

His dad always marks the date on the calendar, always makes a big red X when a new day starts. There's something weird with the date, but… No, surely he's imagining it.

Tim walks towards the calendar and looks closer. He can't believe what he sees.

It wasn't an hour. It was four days.

And no one was looking for him.

 

* * *

 

 

“Can they really do that?” Steph asks, stuffing her mouth with popcorns, pointing at the TV where a gun is firing itself.

“No, they can't move while they're like that, that's just something Hollywood made up.” Tim answers, as he pops a mouthful of popcorns inside his own mouth.

They're chewy and salty, and taste like old cardboard. The couch is too little for both of them, his shirt is sticky from when Steph accidentally spilled her drink on him, and his feet are cold. He wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world.

“You sure?”

“You can ask Nightwing if you don't believe me.”

Steph hums and takes a sip from her drink.

“Must be scary, not being able to move at all.”

“I guess.”

“What do you think it feels like? Being a shifter? Turning into objects?”

Tim rests his face on the back of his hand, while taking two popcorns with the other one. He throws them inside his mouth and drinks some soda before answering.

“How would I know?” He shrugs. “Everyone knows I'm not one.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please remember my food is your comments. If you don't leave any I'm going to die in real life.


End file.
